Twitter Bots push the opening of the economy

General Discussion
1

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/reopen-america-movement-being-fueled-by-fake-social-media-accounts-study/ar-BB14vel8?ocid=spartanntp

Since January, researchers at the prestigious Pittsburgh university say they collected more than 200 million tweets about coronavirus. They found that 620 of the top 1,000 retweeters are bots, as are 82% of the top 50 retweeters.

University researchers say they lack the resources to know who is behind the misinformation campaigns they’ve observed, but Kathleen Carley, a professor in the school of computer science’s institute for software research, said the messaging appears to be coming from a “propaganda machine, and it definitely matches the Russian and Chinese play books."


Oh how nice of the Russians and the Chinese. They must really want our economy to get well soon. So they are trying to trick us in to opening it up right away. Or maybe it is some other groups or individuals who are trying to trick us. But what if they do not really want to help us. What if they are trying to hurt us with the trickery? Or what if the bots are being used for purely political purposes without regard for how precipitous dropping of social distancing and such will make us WORSE OFF? What if they are the LIARS? What if they are the RepugLIARS, or the Alt-right LIARS who are loyal to the imbecile T rump?

 

2

Maybe Steve Schmidt includes tricksters like this, back when he said:

“When we look at the whole spectrum of the nonsense that’s communicated to the American people through the vast and sophisticated Trump propaganda network (that is heavily influenced by misinformation, that is intended to divide the American people) -- put into the social media sphere by hostile foreign intelligence services. It is a real threat to comity in our country.”
3

I should look up “comity”. Whatever it is, I think it must be in pretty bad shape by now.

Oh, here it is. Comity - courtesy and considerate behavior toward others. Yeah, the tricksters and LIARS have pretty much blown that to hell.

Thanks for nothing, Twitter.

4

Funny that I’d started a thread on that but ran out of time and scrapped it.

So what will liberals and sciencie folks do about it?

Standby again as the steamroller barrels on?

5

For anyone interested in more details look up some of these articles by

DENISE CLIFTON

https://www.motherjones.com/author/denise-clifton/

Denise Clifton is a Mother Jones contributor, covering disinformation and the Trump-Russia investigation. She was a member of the editorial team for the 2016 election project, PutinTrump.org.

Why Facebook and Twitter Aren’t Stopping the Flood of False and Toxic Content

Deep Inside a Pro-Putin Network That’s Helping Trump Divide America

Trump’s Lies Have Grown Far More Frequent—and More Dangerous

US Charges Russian Gun Activist Who Interacted with NRA and the Trump Campaign

A Murder Plot, a Twitter Mob, and the Strange Unmasking of a Pro-Kremlin Troll

Russia’s Campaign to Help Trump Win Was Just the Start

The Very Strange Case of Two Russian Gun Lovers, the NRA, and Donald Trump

Trump Supporters Spread the Majority of Phony News on Social Media

Russian Trolls Hyped Anger Over Black Lives Matter More Than Previously Known

Sean Hannity Is Now a Favorite Weapon for Russian Trolls Attacking America

Putin’s Trolls Are Targeting Trump’s GOP Critics—Especially John McCain

Russian Propagandists Are Pushing for Roy Moore to Win

Putin’s Trolls Used the Texas Church Massacre to Sow More Chaos

Putin’s Pro-Trump Trolls Just Targeted Clinton and Mueller

Trump and Putin’s Strong Connection: Lies

Twitter Bots Distorted the 2016 Election—Including Many Likely From Russia

Fake News on Twitter Flooded Swing States That Helped Trump Win

Disturbing New Evidence of How the Trump Era Is Boosting Misinformation and Propaganda

A Chilling Theory on Trump’s Nonstop Lies

Childish Rants or Putin-Style Propaganda?

How Putin Is Singing Along With the Trump White House

How Trump and His Allies Have Run With Russian Propaganda

6

Thanks CC. At least someone is presenting the truth while the steamrollers of the LIARS carry on.

7

Here’s the list I was working on until Denise distracted me and I ran out of time.

Just in case the tactics of disseminating strategic lies and deliberate stupefaction interests anyone. If I get caught up on outdoor chores, (like that ever happens), I’ve got a quote loaded version with live links I may post at my blog. Well if the spirit rouses itself.

===================================

2020

How diehard Trump fans transformed their Twitter accounts into bots which spread conspiracies in a vast Russia-style disinformation network

Tom Porter Mar 9, 2020,

www - Power10 Twitter App Boosted Trump Fan QAnon Theories, Attacks on Squad

Twitter suspended what appeared to be a network of pro-Trump activists using an app called Power10 to boost their messaging.
Using this app, these users were able to effectively turn their accounts into bots — automated amplifiers of posts — some of which Twitter has banned for attempting to distort political conversations online.
The app exposes a flaw in Twitter’s ability to enforce its anti-disinformation and spamming policies, experts have said.
The tool boosted messages by President Donald Trump and his allies, as well as members of the QAnon conspiracy theory movement.
The tool was built by GOP operative Jason Sullivan, a protege of Roger Stone, who promoted it on social media.

=================================

2019

In Trump’s Twitter Feed: Conspiracy-Mongers, Racists and Spies

By MIKE McINTIRE, KAREN YOURISH and LARRY BUCHANAN

Nov. 2, 2019

www _ nytimes _ com/interactive/2019/11/02/us/politics/trump-twitter-disinformation _ html

=================================

2018

How Twitter Bots and Trump Fans Made #ReleaseTheMemo Go Viral

Russian bots and their American allies gamed social media to put a flawed intelligence document atop the political agenda. That should alarm us.

By MOLLY K. MCKEW February 04, 2018

www _ politico _ com/magazine/story/2018/02/04/trump-twitter-russians-release-the-memo-216935


Twitter admits far more Russian bots posted on election than it had disclosed

Company says it removed more than 50,000 accounts and reported them to investigators, marking latest upward revision of figures

Jon Swaine, Jan 19, 2018 19.46 EST

www _ theguardian.com/technology/2018/jan/19/twitter-admits-far-more-russian-bots-posted-on-election-than-it-had-disclosed

=================================

2017

Twitter Bots Distorted the 2016 Election—Including Many Likely From Russia

1 in 5 election-related tweets weren’t from real people, research shows.

DENISE CLIFTON,  OCTOBER 12, 2017

www _ motherjones _ com/politics/2017/10/twitter-bots-distorted-the-2016-election-including-many-controlled-by-russia/

=================================

2016

How Bots, Twitter, and Hackers Pushed Trump to the Finish Line

ANDREW ZALESKI -11.10.16

www _ wired _ com/2016/11/how-bots-twitter-and-hackers-pushed-trump-to-the-finish-line/

Inside Trump’s ‘cyborg’ Twitter army

Could automated online propaganda sway the election?

By BEN SCHRECKINGER 09/30/2016

www _ politico _ com/story/2016/09/donald-trump-twitter-army-228923


Trump's Twitter debate lead was 'swelled by bots'

By Shiroma Silva - BBC News

www _ bbc _ com/news/technology-37684418

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8

Like the evidence you have presented over the years, trying to beat back the LIARS and deniers of climate change, this evidence shows TRUTH.

And now in the real time of a Pandemic with deaths mounting and the economy going down the toilet, it seems that TRUTH will, EVEN NOW, be ignored by too many.

But that does not mean we should give up confronting lies and speaking truth.

 

 

9

Just never ever ever make anyone feel uncomfortable.

10
Just never ever ever make anyone feel uncomfortable.
My stance is that people who are insulted by the truth, or who the truth makes them feel uncomfortable, or who the truth hurts their feelings... can be insulted, uncomfortable, or have hurt feelings as much as they choose. That predicament is their responsibility, not mine.
11

Who’s the bigger culprit, bots or people who want to get back to work.

12

Well bots are deceptive in that they pretend they are an army like the 3 guys in the movie Beau Geste.

People who want to get back to work? That is a most relatable want. Nothing bad about wanting to get back to work.

Now irresponsibly opening the economy in a way that unnecessarily risks lives due to lack of planning and preparedness, that is some bad stuff. And having bots spread deception so that such bad stuff can be accomplished is also bad.

So if the same people who want to get back to work ARE ALSO pressuring for the irresponsible opening of the economy, then they are also some “culprits”. Now if the same people ARE ALSO using bots to spread their crap and to appear like they are a vast majority with that opinion, then they are not only “culprits” they are dastardly deceptive “culprits”.